The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-08-11
In the House.

In the House to-day motion introduced
by Mr.. Wilson, of Camden, to reconsider
the terrapin bill was tabled.
The special order was the reformatory bill.
Mr. Bray, of Fulton, concluded his argu-
ment for the bill begun last Thursday
Mr.. Harre,l, of Decatur, opposed the bill.
He said he had two objections to it. Per-
sons guilty of heinous crimes ought TO be
punished adequately, instead of having
their punishment mitigated and being con-
fined with trivial offenders Another obiec-
ton was that the bill aggregated in one sec
tion of the State convicts from all the
counties of the State. This would be a sore
upon the public policy of the State, in com
parison with which the evils of the present
lease system amounts to nothing. His sub
stitute was intended to meet these
objections In the counties of his
section juvenile offenders were generally
bound out and this was better than an
aggregation of them in one section. His
substitute authorizes any city in the
State to establish reformatory school for
its own Juvenile or miSdemeanor offenders.
he regretted tie Personal turn that had
been given to the discussion, particularly
the filings aimed at the gentleman from Bar
tow.
Mr.. Harrison, of Quitman, opposed the
bill and defended the present system. He
criticised the details of the bill and urged
its impracticability.
FELTON, TO THE RESCUE
Mr.. FELTON,, of Barlow, took the floor in
support of his fill, and addressed a crowded
floor and packed galleries. He said people
were daily sending message bidding him
Sod speed in his support of the bill. Dozens
had been received by himself, and he knew
of some received by Others He had no
doubt but if the question were submitted to
the people at the ballot box it would receive
an overwhelming majority. The people of
Georgia were intelligent andC Christian people
and their disposition was always to do right
He was proud of his State and hurled back
imputations on her humanity Such a sys-
tenn as we have reflects upon
the good name of the State
But be rejected and hurled back such reso-
buttons as had been adopted in Boston Let
US do right, and then we may be Indifferent
to the opinions of people elsewhere Popu-
lar sentiment on this question was changing.
He referred to two gentlemen of the House
who had changed their positions on this
question. His friends from Webster
and Coweta, who had come forward with
substitute for his bill. Who would have
supposed, after listening TO the gentleman
from Dougherty two years ago, that he,
TOO, would at this session have come for
ward with a substitute, the principal fea-
ture of which was reform for Juvenile
offenders.
MONEY AS A POWER.
He believed that the system was intended
70 be humane and reformatory, but "ah,
~ power Of money" There is as said by
the gentleman from Fulton, money in it,
and that is the secret of its perversion from
Its original purpose. Its savage cruelty first
attracted attention to its evils. He referred
to the reports of former investigating COM
mittees showing the bad condition OF the
camps The object was TO wiring the last
dollar from the toll and blood
of the convicts or consign
them to the grave. He did not know that
it was any better now, and he referred to
the reports in circulation of the present bad
condition Of the camps. He was not sur
prised 70 hear of murder and gambling on
Sunday, when it was shown that the leSsees
worked the convicts on Sunday. He said
one of the lessees was lately sick and deliri-
Gus, and in his delirious mutterings such
words as these We're heard To escape him;
TO press heavily upon his conscience, but he
imagined some Of the lesseeS never mad a
ripple upon the surface of their conscience.
SIMMONS ARRAIGNED.
The speech was too lengthy even for
full synopsis, but his reply TO the attack
made on him last Thursday by Mr. Sim
mons was fearful invective and is pro
nounced the most remarkable and terrific
denunciation ever heard on the floor of the
Ilb COUlDlttcu MT.
Simmons proposition repeated from Maud
sley that criminals could not he reformed
Maudsley was the advanced materialist of
the age. He takes the position first that
there is no God and second that there is no
soul. We can only suppose that the gentle
man from Sumter worships such a God
The chairman TO suppress applause in the
galleries read the rule forbidding it.
DIR. FELTON, continued: This is the day for
fierce fight He wanted it understood
from what atheistical source such an argu-
ment em9nates. He was willing 90 rest
such an argument with this House OF Chris
tian legislators. He thought that these
uphold and love the Christian State of
Georgia. Mr.. Simmons had said that the
negroes who knew him would, if they could,
elect him President OF the United States,
and yet be had sad that the negroes had
neither water nor soap, and were Indifferent
TO the marriage relation yet he said that
such negroes would eject him President.
A SEVERE COMPARISON.
Mr.. Speaker. did you ever see two dew
drops rneets How imperceptibly they rush
into each others bosom, and the identity OF
each is lost He illustrated in this way the
congeniality Of such negroes and the Ce7